Lego has posted its eighth year of growth, as the toy company continued to win
market share despite the consumer downturn.

In the UK sales increased by 21pc, despite the toy market inching forward by just 2pc in 2011. Drew Brazer, the head of Lego UK and Ireland, said that parents continued to favour trusted, long-established brands when times were tough - a trend that explained why so many premium toy brands such as Playmobil and Sylvanian Families have flourished in the UK in recent years.

“It’s no conincidence that Lego’s sales really started to take off in 2008, when the global economy started to melt down. Parents want a safe bet, something they know will keep their children entertained for a long time.”

Its market share in Britain jumped from 6.3pc to 7.5pc, according to market analysts NPD, helped by its Minifigs - £2 lego characters sold in a packet aimed at children spending their pocket money. Last year an astonishing 4.3m packets of these were sold, making them the best-selling toy by both volume and value in the UK, and starting a playground swapping craze.

It also said its Ninjago range, which combines traditional Lego construction set with a spinning-top battle game, was its best-ever new launch in the UK. He was speaking as the company, based in Denmark, posted a strong set of global full-year results.

Sales rose by 17pc to £2.18bn, though profits did not rise quite so rapidly, up 13pc to £484m. Mr Brazer said the company had invested in marketing and manufacturing, which had eaten into profit margins. Its global market share increased to 7.1pc from 5.9pc in 2010, the eighth year in a row it has increased its market share, making it the third biggest toy company behind Hasbro and Mattel.

Mr Brazer said he was confident the company could continue to grow this year in the UK and around the world, helped by its new range Lego Friends, aimed at girls. It launched last month and uses different shaped figures, compared with traditional Lego, and lots of pink and purple colours, which has upset many bloggers on parenting websites, who say it encourages gender stereotypes. Mr Brazer said: “We are aware of the concerns, but the sales figures justify the four years we spent developing this - girls love it.”